"...the subject which will be of most importance politically is Mass Psychology. ... The populace will not be allowed to know how its convictions were generated. ... As yet there is only one country which has succeeded in creating this politician’s paradise.” - Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society, 1960.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Roseanne hits the Robocalls for Cindy Sheehan

SF Chronicle BlogOctober 23 2008

San Francisco voters are getting automated phone calls from comedian Roseanne Barr, asking them to vote for anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan in her congressional race against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Putting aside for a moment the question of whether the robocalls are legal in California (they may not be, but as any voter with a phone knows, that's not stopping any politician this fall), is Roseanne really the person any politician wants as the face -- or the voice -- of the campaign?

Take, for example, Barr's comments last week at an event for Sheehan's independent campaign:

"Sometimes me and Pelosi end up in the same circles," she said. "I will walk right up to Nancy Pelosi and slap her right across the face, as I will everybody else in the damn government."

Tough stuff and completely in sync with Barr's blue-collar persona. And there's not many nasty things anyone can say about Pelosi that Sheehan and her backers haven't said already.

"Pelosi is a Traitor," "Pelosi is a Collaborator with a Criminal Administration" and "Why has Pelosi Blocked Impeachment?" were just a few of the signs at a Sheehan march outside The Chronicle at lunchtime today.

"Nancy Pelosi is part of the imperialist establishment," Sheehan told about 60 supporters in front of the Old Mint. "She traitorously took impeachment off the table and funded Bush's war."

Sheehan's new TV ad, which is running in heavy rotation on MSNBC and other stations, also features a picture of Pelosi looking cozy with Bush, something unlikely to be found on Pelosi's campaign Web site (if she had a campaign Web site, which might say something about how seriously Pelosi is taking Sheehan's challenge).

One thing that's guaranteed, though, is that Sheehan isn't going anywhere. She's signed a new year-long lease on her campaign headquarters on Mission Street and has promised that her progressive battle won't end Nov. 4, regardless of the elections outcome.

"If I lose, I'll get ready to try again," she said in a meeting today with The Chronicle editorial board.